Through Time
by windborne
Summary: Why bother being on the alert for devils when there's one right beside you? Dark RosetteChrno


**Through Time**

A Chrno Crusade fanfiction

_There is a devil who sits on your shoulder_

_Day by day, he'll get bolder_

_If a time should come when there's nothing of you left,_

_The gates of heaven will close, and you'll be bereft._

_So never, ever, ever let the devil get the upper hand_

_Because by then, there'll be no friend left to catch you when you land._

"Magdalene, you are charged with witchcraft, for dealing with demons. As you were once the protector of the village, you may return to your own home for the night, but tomorrow, at dawn, you will hang," the magistrate declared. Blond-haired Magdalene said nothing but walked away, neatly avoiding a tomato thrown at her head by less than an inch.

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"It's not my fault," was all she said before collapsing into a chair. The purple-haired demon sitting by the fireplace looked up.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Tomorrow, at dawn," she replied shortly.

"You'll always be by my side, Magdalene. I own your soul," he smiled angelically. Magdalene reflected that it was rather ironic the one who could smile so beautifully was a demon. It was even stranger that he could say such twisted words with such an innocent face. But then again, the devil had many facades, and this was one of them.

"Well then, I will see you tomorrow," he rose to his feet, long plait whipping out behind him.

"Goodbye," she said. She knew it was probably the last thing she would say to him.

He smiled at her again, and the air around him shimmered as he began to disappear.

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"Any last words, Magdalene?" the magistrate taunted as she was roughly lashed to the wooden stake. She surveyed the villagers silently, eyes sad, although she did not cry.

There was mud on her skirts and on her face, gotten when she had been hustled up the hill. She searched the press of people surrounding her, and heaved a sigh when her eyes met his crimson ones. She remained calm, and then returned her gaze to the man standing in front of her, who had decided her fate.

"I'll be back, Aion," she murmured, for his ears alone.

He gestured with a hand, and kerosene drenched the logs at her feet. Flaming torches were launched at the pile of wood, and the milky blue flames roared up quickly.

Even as she burned, she did not cry out, but kept her eyes on him.

"Yes, love. You'll be back."

"You'll be back." He said, before disappearing.

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Rosette wiped her eyes with a small hand, the other clinging to her younger brother, Joshua. The fair-haired siblings were orphans, and not a single person had raised a hand to help them. A large red welt was on her cheek, gotten when she had gone too close to another child, who had shrieked in fear and ended up weeping. The adults had come rushing immediately, and sent her away with a slap.

"Let me, Rosette," Joshua raised a hand glowing with green energy. She shook her head, smiling at him gently. "It's okay," she reassured him.

"Why do they despise us so? It's not our fault. Why?" Joshua asked, looking up to the azure sky. A large eagle winged its way across the sky, screaming a high, shrill cry.

"It's because of _him_," Rosette replied, before pulling Joshua onwards.

"Ah." There was no need to say anymore. They both understood.

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"Where did you both go?" he asked, as they entered the run-down shack. He had been pacing the floor, and Rosette half-believed that he had worn out a path on the floorboards.

"Nowhere," Rosette answered dully. "Come on, Joshua, it's late, and you should sleep now," she informed him. He nodded, yawning, and crawled into bed obediently. Rosette tucked the worn blanket around his body, and they both began to sing.

"Oh light, oh holy light…

Oh light divine…

And the giddy stars (so legends tell)…

Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell.

Of his voice, all mute.

Tottering above, in the highest noon…

The enamored moon blushes with love…

Yes, heaven is thine, but this is a world of sweets and sours…

Our flowers are merely flowers, and the shadow of thy perfect bliss…

Is the sunshine of ours."

By the time the song had been finished, Joshua's azure eyes were closed, and his breathing had smoothened to a regular rhythm. Rosette stroked his golden hair gently.

"When will you learn that no one will heed your call except me?" he demanded abruptly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I want to build my life. If I have to, I will leave this place and go elsewhere. I only want to be happy," Rosette continued running her fingers through the golden strands, and then pulled the ties of her plaits off. The brush lay on the floor, and she picked it up and began to pull it through her hair briskly.

"You are not listening to me."

"That is because there is nothing more I need to hear."

"What if I told you that, by making a contract with me, you would be saving this village?" he asked.

Rosette stiffened, and turned around woodenly. "You wouldn't." she said, as though reassuring herself.

"Yes, I would." With a smoky pop, he vanished, a much more dramatic exit than usual. Frowning, Rosette ducked behind a screen to change into her nightdress.

_Would he?_

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A/N: It can stand alone the way it is, so I may not continue – I'm not very dedicated to long fics because my attention span is short. Extremely short.

I got this idea from an Inuyasha fanfiction that I have no memory of now… just a general 'demons and devils' idea.


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